In March 1826, Leo von Klenze signed a contract on behalf of the Bavarian King Ludwig I to purchase the antique collection of Countess Lipona. The “Lipona” in question was Caroline Murat, the youngest sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. From 1808 to 1815, she ruled the Kingdom of Naples together with her husband Joachim. During this time, she took an active part in the archaeological discoveries in her kingdom and brought together archaeological finds in Naples. She even initiated excavations in Pompeii and around Naples herself. In her chambers in the royal palace of Naples, a private museum of antiquities was created piece by piece.

Ludwig, who was born four years after Caroline Murat, already shared her enthusiasm for antiquity as crown prince and also a passion for collecting antique art objects. In 1804/1805, he traveled to Italy for the first time, was fascinated by the antiquities he saw and from then on was inspired by the desire to convey this beauty north of the Alps in his homeland. Caroline and Ludwig also knew each other personally: in 1806, she attended the wedding of his sister Auguste Amalie to Napoleon’s stepson, Eugène de Beauharnais, in Munich. A little later, Ludwig also spent several months in Paris, where he visited the Louvre several times and probably also met Caroline.

With the fall of Napoleon, the Murats lost their kingdom in Naples in 1815. Caroline managed to abscond with part of her art collections to Habsburg territory, where she lived from then on as Countess Lipona – an anagram of Napoli. Due to a lack of income, she was soon forced to sell her art objects one by one, as a result of which Ludwig came into possession of her collection of antiquities one year after his coronation as king, which has been in Munich ever since.

The special exhibition takes the purchase of the Lipona Collection exactly 200 years ago as an opportunity to take a closer look at the two royal collectors who were so enthusiastic about antiquity. The focus is on Caroline Murat as the founder of the collection. Ludwig I, on the other hand, is viewed primarily in the role of the buyer, who thus laid an important foundation stone for his collection of antique art and the later State Collections of Antiquities. For the first time, the Lipona Collection is presented in its entirety – and in an atmosphere that brings the 19th century back to life.

The exhibition “Collecting with style. Caroline Murat, Ludwig I and Antiquity” can be seen at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen from July 8, 2026 to January 17, 2027.

Exhibition duration: 08.07.2026 – 17.01.2027

Exhibition venue:
Staatliche Antikensammlungen München
Königsplatz 1
80333 Munich
www.antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de

Opening hours:
Tue to Sun: 10 am – 5 pm
Wed until 8 pm
Admission: € 6,- / € 4,-; up to 18 years free; Sun € 1,-